Container Ship Spills Chemicals in Long Beach

Propyl acetate spilled from a container on the container ship, Harbour Bridge, in the Port of Long Beach on Sunday.

The incident occurred at Pier G Berth 232, and 12 longshoremen were exposed to the product. One has been transported to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and a member of the Long Beach Fire Department was transported to the same hospital due to a fall.

The spill occurred when a tank, containing 6,600 gallons of propyl acetate was punctured during loading operations. The chemical was mostly contained on the pier, but some residual recovered material reached the water.

The container involved has now been removed from the ship, and cleanup operations are complete. The propyl acetate was transferred to storage tanks by Patriot Environmental Services.